Entropy
by ewokling
Summary: Between being born into a familiar realm, her own clan trying to assassinate her, and being surrounded by brooding genii, Miyuki can't seem to catch a break. SI-ish OC.
1. Blue Bird

_**Entropy** -_

 _Lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder._

* * *

"未知なる世界の 遊迷(ゆめ)から目覚めて

この羽根を広げ 飛び立つ"

"As you awaken from the dream of an unknown world  
Spread your wings and take off"

* * *

Death was warm.

The sensation was pressing around the soul with comfortable pressure, almost caressing it as it floated along in the emptiness. There was no darkness; just complete void of existence.  
Except for the soul and death.

Thoughts came and slipped away in an instant, completely intangible and leaving behind only a faint trace of recognition. It had no recollection of its past life, be it boy or girl, animal or human.

The soul just _was._

And it was content to drift along in the nothingness, energy humming gently, as it had never experienced a calm quite like it before, or so it was certain.

And suddenly the soul was torn away from the emptiness with force, its entire existence screaming at the horror of it all.

The emptiness was left once again completely barren.

* * *

Blinding light, extreme chill, and the feeling of being touched caused the child to wail, its tiny lungs producing the loudest sound in the entire room. A scratchy blanket was wrapped around its frame and placed into a final set of arms.

A pair of blazing honey eyes opened, angry, trying to find the source of the entire ordeal and its ensuing discomfort. It settled upon a pair of similarly colored eyes, edges crinkled as the owner smiled wide.

And the baby ceased its crying, so suddenly that every soul in the room stared in utter bewilderment.

Harumi looked down at the child in her arms, smiling earnestly as its eyes scanned over her face, as if intent on memorizing her features. Another bundle was passed into her arms a moment later, and she admired her two children.

The boy cried. He wailed, face red from effort.

The girl just stared. Not happy, not sad, not upset. Completely impassive.

Harumi took in their appearances, almost chuckling at the stark difference between them. Her daughter had been blessed with moonlit white hair while her son had hair as dark as the night. Strange to think they were twins. Her little yin and yang.

"What will you name them?" A gruff voice interrupted Harumi's assessment. Her lips pursed into a tight line as she considered.

"Miyuki," She announced, placing a kiss on her daughter's head. "And Kyo."

The older man nodded in approval.

* * *

She doesn't cry.

Harumi knows this all too well. While her son wails and shrieks for attention her daughter sits impassive, honeyed eyes carefully analyzing. She learned to walk faster than her brother, and she does so with much more grace and skill. When the two siblings were being taught how to read and write Miyuki never needed explanation or direction more than once.

Harumi can already tell her daughter is gifted, and she feels a flash of guilt when she thinks it a pity it couldn't have been her brother. Harumi's father does not care for female clan-heads.

"I have only need for Kyo," Jun had said in regards to training, brushing off the white-haired girl with a wave of his hand. Until she had retaliated with a magnificent roundhouse kick which, while hadn't done any damage, succeeded in getting his attention. Jun made an annoyed noise but relented.

Miyuki didn't get along with anyone aside from her own mother and Kyo, although Harumi had since assumed it was due to her own choice. It wasn't brought about with an air of supriority; Miyuki simply had no interest. Kyo adored her, forcing her to play with him and practice their lessons together. The girl doted on him, carrying him on her back even though it was quite a task for her. It was the only time Harumi caught her daughter smiling.

By the time the twins were six, it was very apparent that Miyuki was going to surpass her brother as a ninja. Although Kyo was bright, he was still a child in all the ways his sister wasn't.

"No."

"Please! It would be such a wasted opportunity to not give her the title of clan head. She's a genius!"

Jun glared at Harumi, quieting her in an instant. "Kyo will become the clan head. End of discussion."

His daughter slumped her shoulders, feeling defeated.

* * *

Harumi leaned an arm against a tree, panting. The pace at which she had been running had begun to exhaust her, and her chakra was nearing depletion. A kunoichi though she was, she had been laid down with raising her offspring.

Miyuki was still clinging to her back, doing a good job of watching behind them. Harumi knew it wouldn't do much in case of a surprise attack, but it was better than nothing. She silently prayed both letters she had sent in advance reached their destinations.

"We're almost there," She said gently, holding onto Miyuki tighter. "Don't worry."

"...I'm sorry." The sincerity with which her daughter spoke the words caused Harumi to blink in surprise.

"It's not your fault." And indeed it wasn't.

Harumi received word late in the night of an intended assassination attempt, and when pressed was shocked to learn it wasn't on both of her children, just her daughter.

It was no secret that Miyuki unsettled the clan. Jun practically despised her. But to hire a ninja to kill her? The child hadn't done anything wrong.

Deciding that they couldn't trust anyone, Harumi grabbed Miyuki and fled, leaving the kunoichi appointed to caring for the children when she wasn't around to see to Kyo.

She had intended for Miyuki to reach Konoha, and then return herself, but if they were attacked now it didn't seem likely.

As if on cue foreign chakra made its way to Harumi's senses, indicating to her that someone was rapidly approaching from the south.

Not good.

Miyuki dutifully hid on one of the taller tree branches, quiet as a mouse.

Harumi didn't have enough chakra left for an all-out sprint, especially while carrying someone. They were up against the wall, with nothing left to do but fight. She readied herself in a defensive stance, kunai in one hand.

"This is where your escape comes to an end."

A figure appeared on an opposing tree branch in the dark, half of his face hidden with a cloth mask. His voice and chakra weren't recognizable, although Harumi expected that. The clan would never send one of their own ninja to dispose of them, nor would they admit to an assassination attempt.

A wave of killing intent chilled Harumi to the bone, and her resolve weakened by a small amount.

The battle was short, and to her credit Harumi had tried her best, but with only a small amount of chakra left and a man almost a foot taller than her as her opponent, she was eventually overpowered. She didn't have enough chakra left to send to her hands, and she plummeted down to the ground, landing with a sickening thud.

Instead of running, as she had expected of Miyuki, her daughter yelled once before dropping down beside her. Her eyes widened as she looked at Miyuki's own matching ones.

For the first time since her birth 6 years ago, her daughter was crying.

The ninja assassin had also dropped down a couple feet away, and he was eyeing them with interest. Harumi shakily lift her head to look at him.

"Please. Don't take her life. You already have mine. One life is enough."

"You are not my target," He replied, staring at Miyuki instead of the kunoichi speaking to him.

"Plea-"

"But you have my word I won't kill her."

The surprise and shock was almost tangible, and Miyuki lifted her gaze up to where the opposing ninja stood.

 _Unnatural. Strange. Abnormal._

The words his employer described of the little girl before him swirled around in his head. He had never killed a child before, and even as a battle-hardened ninja he knew it wasn't in him to shed childrens' blood.

 _Unnecessary._

This girl before him would grow up to become a great ninja if what his employer told him was true.

He gave Harumi a small nod before disappearing from where the two of them lay.

Harumi looked up at her daughter, gritting her teeth at the pain coursing through her veins. Black ebbed at her vision, and she grasped Miyuki's hand in her own.

"You have to get stronger," She whispered, grimacing at the taste of blood in her mouth. "Go to Konoha. They will take care of you."

"What about Kyo?"

Harumi gave a small shake of her head. "He will be fine. You will see him soon." She coughed, spewing more blood across her clothing and on Miyuki herself. She softly apologized, reaching up to cup her daughter's cheek.

"I love you," Harumi sighed, hand going slack. "Never forget that."

And with that Harumi Taketori was gone, leaving Miyuki to cry in the forest over her body.

* * *

Every chapter is named after a song that heavily inspired or influenced it, and as such I leave (mostly) relevant quotes at the start of every chapter. This one is Blue Bird by Ikimono Gakari, which is a Naruto Shippuden opening.

My favorite stories, and honestly some of the most well-written, have been self-insert OCs. I've had an idea for a Naruto fic bouncing around in my head for like 7 years since I was 13. I figured it's time to make it come to fruition.

I'm coming up with a lot of the ideas for this as I go along, since the scenes I've extensively planned out take place much later in Miyuki's life.

I hope you guys enjoy. Thanks in advance to those of you who favorite/follow/review.


	2. The Funeral

_"To know me as hardly golden is to know me all wrong, they warn."_

* * *

Hatake Kakashi looked up from where he sat in the trees, noting where he was in his Icha Icha volume.

The girl he was observing had finally grown still, sitting lotus-style in front of the grave she had spent the last three hours digging herself without the aid of chakra or jutsu. It could have been longer for all he knew; she was already in the process when he arrived.

He had come too late to save her mother, and the girl had been spared by her assassin for some unknown reason.

 _Confusing._

He ceased suppressing his chakra and jumped down a couple feet behind her, shoving his hands in his pockets. He noted her torn and bleeding fingernails from having dug the grave and frowned.

She didn't turn to face him. "Are you here to kill me?"

"No," He answered lazily. "I'm here on behalf of the Hokage to take you to Konohagakure."

A few seconds of silence passed before. "Do as you like."

Kakashi waited patiently as she got to her feet, taking in her appearance.

Her white hair was stained bright red from blood, as well as her clothes. She was small, even for her age, and pale. Soft circles under her golden eyes made it apparent she did not sleep well, if at all.

All in all, she looked sickly and malnourished, which made no sense if she had belonged to one of the most powerful clans in Kusagakure.

 _Very confusing._

"After you," She said softly, motioning for him to lead the way, and he would have smiled if not for the porcelain mask over his face.

"What's your name?"

"Miyuki."

* * *

Kakashi set his feet onto the gravel as he appeared in a puff of smoke, Miyuki clinging loosely onto his back. She was staring around at the tall buildings curiously, as if intent on memorizing every detail. If she was apprehensive or nervous she hid it well.

He led her to Hokage tower, knocking gently on the door before entering. Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up from where he was staring out the window, expression visibly relaxing as his eyes swept over the small girl trailing behind the silver-haired ninja. He offered her a seat that she ignored, choosing instead to visually sweep the room, similar to what she had done at the gate.

It was only now that Kakashi noticed she was looking for possible escape routes.

"Miyuki, we received your mother's letter. I'm sorry we didn't get there in time."

Her fists clenched and then relaxed. "Harumi was a good person. She will be missed." Her eyes still did not meet the Hokage's.

"I need you to tell me what happened," He said gently, glancing up at Kakashi, whose half-shrug told him she had been this way since he picked her up.

Miyuki was silent for a moment before answering, her gaze coming to rest on the older man in front of her. She sighed, and for a moment she looked more like a battle-hardened elder than a child."My grandfather hired an assassin to kill me. The ninja killed Harumi and spared me."

Although Hiruzen was hardly satisfied with her answer, he knew it was all he was going to get out of her. He settled himself behind the desk and looked at her over steepled fingers.

"The Hyuuga clan has vouched for you. Hiashi himself has told me you are welcome to stay at the compound, since the Taketori and Hyuuga are good frie-"

"I don't want to go by Taketori."

The venom with which Miyuki spoke the words made the Hokage pause, and even Kakashi looked at the girl with an expression of surprise. For most of the trip she had been quiet and apathetic.

"I want to go by my father's name; Senju."

Kakashi's eye opened wider. When the old man had sent him to retrieve her as a favor, he had said she was related to a close friend.

He didn't specify who.

Hiruzen gave her a small smile. "That's understandable. Where is your father now?"

"Dead," She replied bluntly. "He died on a mission right before I was born."

"I'm sorry," Hiruzen replied honestly. "Now, Miyuki, we have to test you on your knowledge and abilities to assess where you'll be placed in the Academy. You're going to fill out a written portion and then Hound will assess your chakra control."

Miyuki blinked, following Kakashi out of the office to an adjacent room, sitting down across from him at a table. He set a packet down in front of her and settled back into his seat, taking out Icha Icha and picking up where he left off.

He watched her carefully out of the corner of his eye as she breezed through all the civilian subjects. He only saw her take a small pause at the geography section. The questions that she didn't know she simply marked 'N/A'.

Kakashi closed his book and replaced her test with a leaf and a Yang chakra stone.

"Try and keep the leaf on your forehead with only your chakra."

And she did.

"Now keep the stone stuck to your palm using only physical chakra energy."

Again, she did.

Kakashi sighed, "Can you walk up the wall?"

Miyuki stood before the wall, hesitating. He watched as she accumulated chakra in her feet and pressed one onto the wall. She managed to push herself up, and for a second it looked as though she was going to walk up the length of it, but she began to wobble and eventually she landed back on the ground. She was staring at the wall with a frustrated expression.

"You have the idea down, you just need practice," Kakashi said, picking up the test and heading for the door. His hand paused over the handle. "Do you want to move up and graduate early or lay low with the other students?"

Miyuki appeared shocked at his question, and she bit her lip before responding. "Lay low."

"Hn."

"Thank you," She said softly, and Kakashi smiled behind his mask as he saw color come to her cheeks for the first time since they had met.

The both of them returned to the Hokage's desk, and Kakashi glanced over at where a Hyuuga ninja stood, perfectly poised. Hiruzen bade the young girl farewell before turning to Kakashi as the pair of them walked out of the office.

"She's the great-granddaughter of Tobirama," He explained, knowing Kakashi's question without him asking. "The Senju clan is all but extinct now, especially in Konoha."

"She's definitely related to the Second as far as her skills are concerned," Kakashi said, scratching the back of his head. "But she seems socially inept. You should just put her in with the Hyuuga girl ."

Hiruzen made a noise, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. He was getting too old for all of this.

* * *

Miyuki watched the water flow down the drain, faintly pink from the leftover blood on her clothes and on her hair. She let the warmth surround her, hugging her knees close to her chest and watching the water droplets converge and run. She wasn't crying; she had left that back at Harumi's grave. Despite what Harumi had said, she still felt a twinge of concern for her brother's wellbeing.

No, Kyo would be fine. Jun wanted him to grow up to be the Taketori clan head. That was the very reason he had sent someone to dispose of her.

Miyuki stood, stepping out and proceeding to get ready. She had to look somewhat presentable before meeting Hiashi Hyuuga and his daughters.

The Hyuuga woman smiled at her as Miyuki exited the room, escorting her to where the main family's head sat. Miyuki could tell from the green seal adorned on the woman's forehead that she was not a part of the main family, as if her maid-like attire wasn't enough of a clue.

Hiashi Hyuuga sat at one end of a low table on a cushion, his daughter on his right side. Hinata glanced at the small girl before staring back down at the table.

"Hyuuga-sama," Miyuki greeted, bowing low.

Hiashi responded with a nod. "Miyuki-san, this is my daughter Hinata. I'm very sorry we have to meet under such circumstances."

Miyuki didn't know what to say in response to that, so she opted for silence, sitting on the cushion across from Hiashi he motioned to. A grave expression took over his face.

"Your situation is very unusual, Miyuki. Those who do not belong to the Hyuuga Clan rarely come inside these walls, let alone stay. However, given the Taketori's relationship with the Hyuuga, and especially the friendship your mother gave us, you are welcomed here as only another Hyuuga would be. Although you are not blessed with the Byakugan, you will be taught Gentle Fist among other things Hinata is learning," His expression softened slightly as he took in Miyuki's surprised stare. "I cannot allow the great-granddaughter of Tobirama Senju as well as a main member of the Taketori Clan to go without proper training, both ninja and etiquette."

This was more than Miyuki had expected. A wave of gratitude came over her as she smiled, for the first time, at Hiashi. She briefly wondered what the branch members would think of an outsider being privy to Jyuuken and the Hyuuga ways.

She wondered if they would insist upon marking her just as a member of the branch family.

No, no matter if she knew Jyuuken or remained inside the compound, she didn't have the Byakugan, and thus there was no reason for a seal.

"I still have to discuss what this will do to our relationship with the Taketori Clan with the Elder," Hiashi continued, motioning for his daughter. "Hinata will show you around the compound. You are welcome to come and go as you please. On Monday you will go with her to the Academy, and after that we will begin your training here."

Miyuki bowed low once more before following Hinata out into a hallway.

"It seems like we'll be spending a lot of time together," The girl stuttered softly, giving Miyuki a small smile. "I'll help you in any way I can, Miyuki-san, so let's do our best."

"Yeah," Miyuki replied, giving Hinata a smile and following her as she led them through the compound.

From what Miyuki could tell, the Hyuuga estate was a giant square-like structure, many hallways and smaller rooms making up the vicinity, with a very open space in the very middle, presumably for training. There was also a room where Hiashi sparred with his daughters inside, as well as a kitchen, the restrooms where Miyuki had showered earlier, and bedrooms for every member of the clan. Miyuki's room was next to Hinata's. Hinata had patiently waited for her to finish looking over her new room before the pair turned to continue, but a figure exiting the room on the other side of Miyuki's stopped them cold.

Miyuki figured she shouldn't have felt apprehensive; she knew this meeting would happen eventually. Nevertheless, she felt an odd mix of anxiety roil around in her stomach.

She had always been adverse to the Hyuuga's Byakugan, feeling as though those pupil-less eyes could see everything that could be laid bare, and she knew she couldn't ever hope to hide anything under his gaze.

"Neji-nii-san!" Hinata squeaked, wringing her hands.

"Hinata-sama," He replied coldly, before casting his gaze on Miyuki. "Who is your friend?"

"I'm Miyuki Senju," She said, cutting of Hinata as she was about to speak. "I'm from Kusagakure's Taketori Clan."

Neji gave her an appraising look, and if he was confused by the clashing of last names he didn't show it.

"I'm Neji Hyuuga," He replied, stating his name as if it were an impressive title.

And to Miyuki, it was.

Hinata and Miyuki parted ways from Neji, heading out towards the front entrance of the compound. It wasn't hard to notice that Hinata was beside herself with fear and anxiety. The small amount of self-confidence and openness she possessed earlier was gone, leaving the girl stuttering at almost every word and not daring to look up from the ground. Miyuki sighed.

"Hinata, would you be able to show me around the village?"

Miyuki's words caught Hinata off guard, and the younger girl blushed bright red, but lead them both outside and into the streets of Konoha.

When Miyuki and Harumi had fled from Kusa it was late in the night. Now, after all of the excitement, it was early morning, and Konoha was just starting to wake and busy itself. Many of the shops were already open, and Hinata pointed most of them out, giving her opinion on which were better than others.

Miyuki was physically exhausted, but she knew her mind wouldn't let her sleep. She didn't know if it was from shock or from the unfamiliarity of the new village. She was barely paying attention to where Hinata was leading her until she ran into someone.

"Oi, watch where you're going!"

Miyuki looked up into a pair of the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen, narrowed into a glare.

"A-Ah, Naruto, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" Hinata stammered, face growing even more red than previously.

Naruto's face softened as he looked over at the small girl. "I'm fine. Who's your friend?" Deja vu swept over Miyuki.

"This is Miyuki Senju. S-She just arrived from Kusagakure." Hinata responded, and Miyuki followed up with: "Pleased to meet you." She was grateful for how quickly Hinata had accepted Miyuki's preferred surname.

"Kusa?" Naruto's brows knit together. "What are you doing here? You're not a spy are you?"

There was an awkward silence, and Hinata elected to look down at the ground, pushing her index fingers together.

"I wanted to become a strong ninja, so I came here," Miyuki said simply, hoping this answer was enough to placate the boy. She wasn't in the mood to explain to anyone else how much her clan detested her.

Naruto placed his fist on a flat palm. "I see! We are the strongest," He began nodding. "You made a good choice. You can become strong together with all of us, right Hinata?"

"Uh, y-yes!"

Naruto adjusted his goggles. "I have a meeting with Iruka-sensei at Ichiraku. You might want to go to a hospital; you don't look too well. I'll see you around Miyuki, Hinata!"

And with that he sprinted off towards ramen, leaving Miyuki blinking over at Hinata, who was trembling a bit. Miyuki smiled.

"I'm sorry about him," Hinata stuttered, looking everywhere but at the shorter girl. "He's very blunt, but he has a good heart. Naruto's a good person."

"It's okay, Hinata," Miyuki replied. "It's easy to see why you admire him. C'mon, let's keep going."

Miyuki didn't think it was possible for her companion to grow even more embarrassed, but it was. She took Hinata's hand and prompted her forwards.

Despite the rough night she endured, Miyuki felt more relaxed in Konoha than she ever had in Kusa.

* * *

I'm going to try and make an effort to have much longer chapters from here on out. I prefer reading longer chapters myself and I'm sure y'all do too.

Chapter Title: The Funeral - Band of Horses.


	3. We're Going to Be Friends

Huge thank you to any followers or lurkers for this story. Extremely sorry about lack of updates. I'm trying to fix that.

* * *

 _"I can tell that we are gonna be friends,_  
 _Yes I can tell that we are gonna be friends."_

* * *

" _Nee-san!"_

 _Miyuki looked up from where she was sprawled about in the tall grass, gently putting her book down just in time to avoid a barreling head of raven hair from damaging it. Kyo crashed on top of his twin, knocking the air out of her lungs. He had so much energy, Miyuki was jealous._

" _Play with me!" Kyo demanded, beaming at her, and Miyuki knew she couldn't even hope to say no to him._

 _Although she was only older than him by two minutes, her role as the elder sibling was as prominent as ever. She carefully crouched down, allowing him to leap onto her back, almost causing her knees to buckle under his weight. Despite Kyo on her back, she felt relieved; all the stress leaving her joints. Her sibling's blazing body heat and his comforting scent of bergamot and fresh linen swallowed up her senses, his bubbling laughter filling her up with joy. Kyo was so sweet, so innocent, and so very lovable. He was her one source of happiness in this compound._

 _While it was true that Harumi doted on her children, spoiling them with material items and physical affection when time allowed, she was also a pushover, and anything Jun said went. Kyo and Miyuki had their lessons, and they both had women looking after them much like a nanny would, but while the clan reveled in Kyo's affection and attention, they abhorred Miyuki's presence entirely. It was done carefully, so that Harumi in particular could never call them out on it. When it was an option, the clan members ignored her entirely. To them, she was nothing more than empty space. When they were required to interact with her their smiles were so forced it seemed as if it would crack their faces. And so Miyuki opted for solitude whenever she could._

 _It unsettled the clan members,she knew, the ease with which she picked up reading, walking, and talking. How scrolls and books far more advanced than what she should be reading disappeared from shelves and libraries. Ink and pens vanished as well. Harumi was the only one who appeared genuinely enthusiastic at her genius, and yet disappointment shone behind honey eyes, because it didn't matter how skilled Miyuki was, or how much she achieved: Jun would never allow her to become the clan head as long as he was alive._

 _That suited Miyuki fine. If anything, she was slightly bitter over the whole ordeal._

 _Put an adult mind in a child's body and anybody's going to think they're a genius._

 _Approaching voices caused Miyuki to crouch down in the tall grass with Kyo, pressing a finger to her lips. She had tricked her twin into following along with her avoidance of people by telling him they were playing ninja._

" _...so cute! Harumi-sama put it up in a frame in the kitchen. Iwatobi was so happy."_

" _Yes, it would be a shame if Kyo didn't make more art for the clan. He's so talented. He's going to be an amazing shinobi someday."_

" _Let's just hope Miyuki will be gone by then."_

" _Rina! Watch your tongue."_

" _Little demon. I'll say whatever..."_

 _Miyuki was painfully aware of how fast her heart was beating as the two women walked away from where she and Kyo were hidden. Her brother slid off her back, frowning at his sister's mood._

" _Yuki, why do they call you 'devil'?"_

 _She paused for a moment as she went to pick up her book, inhaling sharply before turning to face Kyo. His brows were knit together, face set grimly. He looked as though he wanted to fight someone._

" _Sometimes when people don't understand something, they become afraid, and then they hate," She explained slowly, but this was apparently not a good enough answer for the raven-haired boy. Kyo crossed his arms over his chest cutely._

" _That's stupid. I don't understand you sometimes, too, but I **love** you!"_

 _Miyuki smiled at Kyo, a warm feeling filling her chest. Her sweet, sweet brother._

" _I don't care how nice they are to me. When I become clan head I'm going to make a rule that everyone has to be nice to you too. Like **really** nice, like they are to me. And I'll become so strong that nobody can ever beat me. Then I'll protect you and the clan forever, and you'll never make that sad face again."_

 _Kyo stared determinedly at her as he finished his speech, jaw set proudly. Miyuki swallowed past the lump in her throat, beaming at him and taking his tiny hand in her own as she led them both back to the main house._

 _If she had Kyo, she could survive this hell._

The dream-memory dissolved into nothing, replaced with visions of Kyo crying after learning of his mother and sister's death, then replaced again with Harumi's hand pressed to Miyuki's cheek, then focusing solely on her mother's spilt blood on the ground, her hands, her clothing.

Miyuki woke in a cold sweat, gasping for air. She ripped the covers off violently, sitting on the edge of the bed and pressing her palms onto her forehead as if she could force the memories to leave. She wondered how long this would continue to go on before she repressed everything. If there was some jutsu for dreamless sleep she could use it right about now. Miyuki sighed, glancing at her clock and seeing that it was three in the morning. She wasn't supposed to wake up for another three and a half hours, then go to her first day at the academy.

Miyuki grimaced, laying gently back down on the bed and waiting once again for sleep to claim her, knowing that she would be exhausted in a few hours as per usual.

Hinata and Miyuki sat lotus-style side by side out on the deck lining the sparring area. The Hyuuga girl had explained that morning meditation was very important for prepping for the day, but all it seemed to do to Miyuki was make her acutely aware of her own lack of sleep. It took all of her willpower to not drift off for the twenty minutes they sat in silence, and she breathed a sigh of relief when it was finally time to eat and head off with Hinata. Miyuki saw Neji leave a full fifteen minutes before they did; no doubt so that he wouldn't have to walk with either of them.

The Academy was about what Miyuki had expected. Her class hadn't started on chakra at all; and most of the lessons consisted of civilian subjects. Taijutsu lessons hadn't started either. Instead, their physical lessons were comprised of lots of running, stamina exercises, and acrobatics. It wasn't hard to see how much more of an advantage the children growing up in clans had over civilian-raised children. In fact, every clan member sitting in the class with her was either bored or lording over the other students. By far the most self-righteous students in her class were tied between Ryota Senmatsu and Sasuke Uchiha.

Ryota's clan specialized in medical ninjutsu, and so he frequently brought in his family's medical books to read in place of the school's texts, even though he could hardly understand all the medical jargon yet. Miyuki had managed to swipe a few for herself, and they paired nicely with her lessons on the human body at the Hyuuga Estate.  
She spent most of her classtime either reading, staring out the window, or observing the other students. It was a miracle she hadn't gotten detention yet.

When she wasn't at the compound or at the Academy, Miyuki was painfully aware of a pair of eyes that followed her wherever she went. She couldn't see them, and she could barely feel the sparking chakra, but the itch on the back of her neck didn't lie.

No doubt it was the Hokage's doing. Both to ensure her safety and to ensure the village's. Just in case she was a spy.

When Jyuuken lessons had first started, Miyuki was paired up with Hinata. The clan heir had sat with the girl patiently as her father gave Miyuki a lengthy and detailed explanation on the human body and its intricate chakra system. He gave her some books and scrolls with more specifics that she planned to read later that night, then had both the girls stand facing each other.

"The most pivotal ability with Jyuuken, and even Taijutsu as a whole, is how to block and dodge every attack an enemy throws at you. This is something you can master even without the Byakugan. Spar with Hinata," He commanded, seating himself on a cushion. Miyuki internally groaned at how slippery the wooden floor was, even though she was barefoot.

"Don't go easy on me just because I'm new," She joked to Hinata, who just blushed in response.

It took less than a minute for Hinata to completely trash Miyuki and send her to the ground. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that Hiashi was the tiniest bit amused at the ease with which his daughter took down another person.

"Again," He said.

Hinata made a point to unblock any tenketsu that were blocked after the spars, promptly apologizing and looking over the smaller girl with a concerned face. It was a sweet gesture, and one Miyuki appreciated. Even with everyday spars, it still took a full month a half before Miyuki could beat Hinata in a spar, and while she was pleased she was also frustrated. It was stupid to think her ability with Jyuuken with develop overnight, but she wanted to be better. Having strong Taijutsu while being female, let alone being her size, would immediately have people underestimating her to her advantage.

Miyuki began sitting on the outskirts to the training area, cushion and tea brought along for optimal comfort. With every day that passed that she observed she could see Neji's posture grow a little more tense.

He would spar against another member of the branch family, and even though he was still young, Miyuki could see the ease with which he used Gentle Fist, how fluid his movements were. A sadness weighed in her stomach as she watched the obvious affinity Neji possessed for his clan's Kekkei Genkai coupled with the fact he was born as a member of the Branch Family.

As the spar came to an end and the branch family member (Miyuki thought his name was Yusei) made his exit, Miyuki began to gather up her cushion and empty cup when a pair of approaching footsteps and a voice caused her to pause.

"You. What's the meaning of your presence here?"

A deep frown was set on Neji's face, and he stood in front of Miyuki with arms crossed, still looking poised despite his rumpled clothes and sweaty brow.

Neji had heard from multiple members in the Branch Clan where she originated from, and even that she would be adopted into the Hyuuga's Gentle Fist style, much to his disdain. He made great attempts to avoid both her and Hinata, but the girl's presence at his practice spars had been slightly distracting, and he was irritated to say the least.

"You're strong," Miyuki replied simply, not really knowing what to say in her defense.

There was an incredibly awkward silence as she thought about how to rectify how strange her words sounded.

"I'm dissatisfied with my progress with Jyuuken. I wanted to watch you to see how I could improve," She extrapolated, but all her words seemed to do was make Neji sneer.

"You, a complete stranger, complain about your lack of ability with Jyuuken when you shouldn't even be trained in it in the first place?"

Ouch.

Miyuki had no idea what to say in reply, mostly because Neji was right. She didn't belong here, and it was painfully obvious by the way the clan treated her. While they weren't outright rude, it was still a different shade of the way the Taketori clan treated her. Hiashi's attitude was one of politely fulfilling an obligation. Hinata was the only one who was truly kind to her.

It was Kusa all over again, minus attempted assassination.

Neji was not oblivious to her status as an inside-outsider. He knew of the way his fellow family members talked about her, the bitterness he felt at her being included into their family's fighting styles. And yet, her presence here only bolstered his hatred for Hiashi and the Main Branch. He was also aware of how the Branch Family praised him, telling him the Gentle Fist was truly gifted to him unlike any other, how disappointing it was he couldn't lead them all while his cousin was destined to.

He smirked slightly as the thought of how embarrassed it would make the Main Clan to have not only a Branch Member surpass them in Gentle Fist, but also a complete outsider who didn't even possess the Byakugan.

"I will spar with you and train you. It won't be easy." He turned to walk away from her. "You don't have the ability to see Tenketsu, but you can still incapacitate an opponent by striking at their vital organs. I don't know why your clan was so worried about your competence; I've seen you spar with Hinata."

Miyuki blinked in surprise.

Was Neji trying to make a _joke_?

She smiled as he walked away from her. "Thank you, Neji."

He made an unintelligible noise in response, leaving her to her own company.

* * *

The sky was such an opaque blue, with large, fluffy clouds drifting lazily across it. There was a nice breeze causing Miyuki's hair to whip around her face, and she blew it out of her eyes with a burst of air from her mouth. It was a perfect day, and she had no idea what to do with it. The only person she could consider a friend was Hinata, and she was busy with some important lessons from the Hyuuga Elder.

Miyuki sat down against a tree, taking a container out and placing it onto her lap. Hinata was a great cook already, and Miyuki was grateful she had given her some daifuku to share. She had been eyeing a nice spot just off of the training fields that would be perfect to just lay and watch the clouds. It was an even nicer view with some sweets.

She wanted to savor the few moments she allowed herself before she would no doubt be caught up with training. She had a goal, she just needed to become strong enough to meet it.

The feeling of someone's chakra approaching made her straighten. She turned to face the person and was met with a heavier set boy with strange markings on his cheeks, his eyes widened as he looked at Miyuki. She took note of the bag of barbecue chips in his fist.

The two children stared at each other for a couple awkward seconds.

"You're...Miyuki Senju, right?"

She nodded. "You're Choji, right? From the Akimichi Clan? We're in the same class. It's nice to meet you. I didn't think anyone else would come around here."

"Well, actually..." Choji's response trailed off as he looked at the daifuku sitting on her lap. He practically started drooling, and Miyuki smiled.

"Here, have one. I think Hinata gave me too many."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

Choji sat down in the grass next to her, savoring each bite of daifuku as Miyuki watched the clouds drift across the sky. The boy next to her seemed nice, and Miyuki figured if she had to make a friend that it was lucky she came across Choji first.

"Why aren't you playing ninja?" She asked, instantly regretting it when his face dropped.

"My team always loses."

Miyuki wrapped her arms behind her head, leaning back against the tree once more. "It's a dumb game anyway. There's plenty of time to be real ninja when we graduate, right?"

Choji looked over at the white-haired girl in surprise before giving her a wan smile, his grin growing wider as he saw her own.

"You remind me of someone, you know. He-" Before he could finish his thought Miyuki noticed another chakra signature headed towards them. This one felt cool and dark.

"You're in my spot."

Miyuki looked over at the newcomer just as Choji greeted him and began smiling. He had spiky black hair drawn up into a ponytail, and narrowed brown eyes. For the second time in recent weeks she found herself intimidated by another's gaze. She pat the space on her other side and gave him a smile.

"There's plenty of room."

"Yeah, but you got the best spot." He finally relented, sighing and sitting down to her right. "Hey, Choji, why didn't you tell her this spot was taken?"

"I tried!" He protested, then looked down at the sweets Miyuki was holding. "But..."

Spiky groaned. "What a pain. Well, I guess it can't be helped. Pass me a sweet."

"Ah, Miyuki, this is Shikamaru. He's in our class too." 'He's my best friend', went unsaid.

"Yo," Was the lazy response. Shikamaru laid back in the grass, eating the daifuku and staring up at the clouds.

"You're from the Nara clan, right?" Miyuki asked, and Shikamaru nodded in response. "I bet evening is your favorite time of day with all the shadows."

"That was a lame joke," Shikamaru replied, but the corners of his mouth were perked up.

"Hey, Miyuki, what's your favorite food? Mine is potato chips, but Shikamaru likes to steal some when he thinks I'm not looking."

"I do not!"

Miyuki took a second to think. "Hmmm. I like miso soup." Truth be told she couldn't cook a lot, or very well at all, and miso was easy. Whenever Hinata offered to cook she gratefully accepted whatever she made.

"Miso's so boring!" Choji complained. "You'll have to come over sometime. My mom makes really awesome food."

The three of them made small talk for another hour until Choji announced he had to be home in time for dinner with his family, leaving Shikamaru and Miyuki to lay and watch the sky turn even more dark. There was a good fifteen minutes of them just laying in comfortable silence before he stood up, brushing dirt off of his pants and turning to leave. He paused as Miyuki started to get up as well.

"Most people don't know how to sit in quiet and appreciate silence," He called softly. "I guess you're alright."

* * *

For the next few weeks everything slowly settled into a routine. In the morning she would meditate and spar with Neji, rattling off different parts of the body and where the tenketsu in the area were located as he parried most of her blows. Then it was off to the academy, where Miyuki focused on everything except the lessons. She had no time for propoganda-fueled, pro-military history.

During taijutsu classes and recesses, Ryota had seemed determined to make Miyuki his rival, and he proceeded to challenge her at every opportunity. He lost in almost every sparring match, although Miyuki had, on multiple occasions, resorted to incorporating Jyuuken moves. She often wondered how a match between her Jyuuken and his slowly-developing chakra scalpels would play out later in life.

In the evenings, depending on the day, she would head straight back to the compound to spar with Hinata, eat dinner, and then sit with the heir for their etiquette lessons. If there were no lessons Miyuki sat with Shikamaru and Choji at their usual spot. Sometimes they would play Shogi or Go, sometimes they would nap, and sometimes she would treat them to ice cream. The Hokage had been generous enough to give her a small monthly allowance so that she could buy new clothing or supplies.

She was exhausted from being so busy, but it didn't stop her from visiting the library on her down time. Miyuki wasn't even a Genin yet, and so her clearance on most documents was incredibly limited, especially when it came to clan characteristics and histories. Even her own, Senju, was only spoken of in terms of its creation of the village and relationship with the Uchiha. There were hardly any mention of jutsu performed by either Hashirama or her great-grandfather.

Granted, the chances of her being able to perform wood release were slim, but she still wanted to try. The idea behind it wasn't very complicated; earth chakra in one hand and water in other. She had already determined that her primary affinity was earth, as one test with a chakra paper showed as it crumbled. Miyuki knew she was fighting an uphill battle in attempting to get the hang of two chakra elements enough for wood release. Most Jonin were the only ones capable of manipulating two chakra natures at once with any modicum of skill. Combined with her small chakra reserves due to her young age, she was looking at many years at least before she saw any progress.

There wasn't much to do unless she found herself a teacher. The only ninja she knew who was proficient with earth release was the Hokage himself, and she knew he didn't have the physical capabilities to teach someone at his age. She was informally acquainted with Kakashi, but she wasn't supposed to know Hound's identity, and she doubted she would meet Tenzo/Yamato on her own. For better or for worse, she was on her own at the moment.

When Iruka-sensei had first introduced Kawarimi, the other students were bursting with excitement at the prospects of their first jutsu. As per expected, all of the clan children had an easy time with it. Ryota made a point of transforming into a bad copy of Miyuki, which she gave a swift punch to.

At night she tried not to dwell on the thoughts of Kusa or her brother, but the nightmares impeded anyway. More often than not she awoke in a cold sweat, staring down at her hands that had, in her mind, been drenched with Harumi's blood. On one such night, she froze at the feeling of a familiar chakra signature hesitating as it passed her room, clearly sensing her distress. Miyuki only relaxed when it had moved on to its own room.

She wondered what Jun had told Kyo. Clearly he assumed she was dead; the Hyuuga hadn't said anything to the Taketori or made any indication that their prior relationship had changed. And really, why should they? Internal clan issues weren't their place to get involved in. And if either clan ended up visiting, it didn't matter. There was no actual proof that Jun had hired an assassin. No doubt he was training Kyo in their clan's techniques.

Well, if Kyo was taking their mother's clan techniques then Miyuki would just have to take her father's.

When the Uchiha Massacre happens the following year, it leaves Miyuki feeling downtrotten. It was an irrational and stupid reaction, because really, what was a seven-year-old going to do to prevent it? And yet still, she felt responsible.

When she was first born into this world the sensory overload of memories from her past life were overwhelming. The people and events she was slowly remembering made it difficult to discern between what had happened and what was happening. It was gaining her a reputation for spacing out. She had no idea what she was supposed to do in this world; torn between leaving things as they were intended to be and worming her way into affairs to prevent unnecessary deaths.

The only thing she was sure of at the moment was her goal of getting revenge and killing Jun.

* * *

 **And in this chapter we have more interactions between Miyuki and canon characters. I'm super sorry for these first few chapters; I will admit they are rough. Eventually I'll go back and edit them. I'm really bad at exposition, and I'm just really excited to get to the good stuff later on. Bear with me.**  
 **Thanks in advance to everyone that views, favorites, and reviews. Y'all are great.**


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